Time and time again we hear the same thing..."the young people are the future of the church"...only to see them come in and go right out through the revolving door that we call "church". But why is that? We promised them that one day they could be a deacon or a deaconess, that they could one day be on the church board, or that one day they could assist in VBS. Well, that is the problem...we keep putting off the fact that they are just as much a part of the church as the elders, right now. Instead, we continue to invest in outside missions, internal beautification, and landscaping.

When are we going to wake up and start investing in the youth in the church? When will we take children's programs seriously? It takes a lot of time, volunteers, and vision to put on a week-long VBS program geared for 5-15 year olds, a Pathfinder campout, or even a Sabbath School class. You need a director who can multi-task and keep everyone on schedule. You need engaging people who aren't afraid to look silly in front of kids. You need people who can prepare food, teach object lessons, and organize games. You need creative people who can decorate, especially when on a limited budget.

For those who had the opportunity to visit Cactusville this past week, you would see that the decorations (albeit low budget) were top notch. This was not because of what we bought or borrowed, it was because of the vision that many had to make this event as appealing to kids as possible. This was a necessity because the environment puts them in the mood to learn...make it fun, the kids will have fun. You see, child evangelism should not be treated like adult evangelism. We need to come out of our shells a little, roll up our sleeves, and prepare to get out of our comfort zone. Come on, let your hair down, act goofy, and have some fun on your own.

Most of all, this investment takes support from the local church. See, you can't fool kids. If you aren't willing to invest, neither will they. Let's remember that these kids aren't just the future of our church...they are the church too. They are valuable assets that will grow up to be our future VBS coordinators, Pathfinder directors, Communications team, A/V techs, and church leaders. We need to invest in our future, the kids that we have right here, right now.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, 

Your 10-Day Outlook

Saturday, July 15th
• Sermon, Kathy Gossett, 11:15am
     "Child Evangelism"
• Sunset, 8:47pm

Wednesday, July 19th
• Weekly Bible Study, 7:00pm

Friday, July 21st
• Sunset, 8:44pm

Saturday, July 22nd
• Sermon, Jordan Blyden, 11:15am
     "Gather Up The Fragments"

These announcements may not be ready for the upcoming week at the time of this publication, but below is the link to access our video announcements at any time. They can also be accessed on our website in the "announcements" section.

The current week's announcements will be uploaded by Saturday morning.